Launching operations down under: Rhenus takes over O’Brien Logistics in Australia and sets up a national company

The Rhenus group will have its own national company in Australia, Rhenus Logistics Australia, in future too. The logistics specialist signed an agreement to purchase the freight forwarding company known as O’Brien Customs and Forwarding Pty Ltd on 16 June in order to expand its network of business sites in the Asia-Pacific region.

The O’Brien family business handles air and sea freight consignments and provides customs and warehouse services. It was initially founded as a pure customs clearance firm by Jan and Shane O’Brien in 1996. O’Brien has been offering its customers air and sea freight transportation in addition to customs services for seven years. O’Brien has its headquarters in the northern part of Melbourne.

The Rhenus Group is planning to expand the firm’s current operations in future with its network and its services. They include, for example, domestic traffic, support for imports/exports, buyers’ consolidation as well as warehouse and integrated logistics solutions.

“The takeover of O’Brien and the founding of the national company to be known as Rhenus Logistics Australia enable us to cover the whole of Australia with our services. As a result of the acquisition, we’re gaining experienced employees with local expertise for the global operations of the Air & Ocean business unit at Rhenus Freight Logistics too,” says Jan Harnisch, Rhenus COO Ocean Freight Asia.

The new Rhenus operations on the Australian continent are part of the logistics specialist’s expansion strategy in the Asia-Pacific region. Rhenus is planning to open a number of new business sites this year in this area, including centres in China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines.

About RhenusThe Rhenus Group is a logistics services provider with global business operations and annual turnover of EUR 4.8 billion. Rhenus has business sites at over 580 locations worldwide and employs more than 28,000 people. The Rhenus business areas – Contract Logistics, Freight Logistics, Port Logistics and Public Transport – manage complex supply chains and provide a wealth of innovative value-added services.